The European Union has reportedly launched an investigation after several media outlets revealed that a network of Hungarian spies had allegedly been operating under the guise of members of the Hungarian delegation.
The European Commission took action following reports that Hungarian intelligence services had attempted to recruit EU staff members as informants.
The Commission said it is taking the allegations very seriously and is doing everything it can to protect its personnel from illegal activities.
“We will be setting up an internal group to look into those allegations,” Commission spokesperson Balázs Ujvári said.
Hungarian outlet Direct36, working with Germany’s Paper Trail Media and Belgian newspaper De Tijd, claimed that Hungarian intelligence services had tried to build a network within EU institutions.
According to the reports, the network is believed to have operated through Hungary’s permanent representation to the EU between 2012 and 2018, a period marked by tensions between Budapest and Brussels over democratic standards and press freedom in Hungary.
Between 2015 and 2019, the permanent representation was headed by Olivér Várhelyi, who now serves as the European commissioner for Health.
